Apple is selling Mophie’s new AirPower knock-off
Apple wasn’t quite able to make its promised AirPower wireless charging pad work. It canceled the project 18 months after announcing it. Its goal was to let you charge several devices at once using a single pad. However, where Apple failed, Mophie may have succeeded.
There are other wireless charging pads available, of course. Still, it’s interesting to see a big name such as Mophie make one when Apple couldn’t, and then for Apple to sell the Mophie devices through its website and stores.
Mophie revealed a pair of multi-device pads Friday, each of which provide 7.5W of charging output. The dual version ($99.95) allows you to boost the battery charge on a Qi-enabled iPhone and AirPods at the same time, with a USB-A port included to let you charge another device via a cable.
The 3-in-1 model ($139.95) adds an Apple Watch stand, through which you can charge your smartwatch at the same time as your phone and AirPods, with a dedicated cavity for the latter. Mophie suggests the Watch stand is at an ideal angle for Nightstand Mode.
The company claims the pads are optimized for Apple devices. The pads aren’t quite as flexible as Apple wanted AirPower to be, though. It only lets you charge one each of iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch simultaneously, though AirPower was to allow you to top up any combination of the devices. Nor does it seem you’ll be able to view the charge level for each device from your phone, a feature AirPower was to offer.
Along with the pads, Mophie revealed a pair of USB-C car chargers that have 18W of output. They include a model with a single port ($24.95) and one with an extra USB-A port, which provides 12W of output ($29.95).
Apple is selling all four devices through its website now. They’ll be available in some Apple stores and from Mophie’s website next week.
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